The Star Project

Contents

Introduction

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) had long taken the view that whilst it could not tackle any major projects at St. Andrew’s Church in Deopham, it would nibble away at smaller problems. By 2019 it was becoming conspicuous that the backlog of problems was not diminishing and that the PCC was being forced to face up to the fact that decisive action was needed. The problems with the clerestory windows being in a dangerous state meant that the church could not be opened in windy weather. The vicar, Colin Reed, was keen to stall the inevitable closure that would result in a failure to address the maintenance problems and volunteered to approach three of his contacts in the village. The outcome of this consultation is available here in redacted form, although only one of those recorded actually lived in the parish.

June 2019

With support from Diocesan Historic Church Building Support Officer, the following leaflet was written and circulated in the village to publicise the church’s problems, and to garner support for attendance at a parish meeting.

June 29th 2019 – Parish Meeting

Following this meeting, the Diocesan Historic Church Building Support Officer, Anastasia Moskvina, circulated a set of notes describing the meeting and some of the discussions. These notes are available here.

September 2019 – Terms of reference for a new lottery committee

Following the Parish Meeting on June 29^th 2019, a group was formed to pursue the Lottery application. The terms of reference circulated to members of the PCC for this committee were:

To identify how to engage with the Lottery fund managers to obtain a grant for the full works of the Quinquennial (totalling £413,000);
Not to conflict with the existing fund raising committee which is essentially focused on arranging events;
Not to engage with architects to redefine the extent of the works to be carried out.

The group was accountable to the PCC, and included the two Church Wardens as PCC representatives. In due course, this group named itself the StAR (i.e. St. Andrew’s Restoration) Group. Subsequently, alternative terms of reference evolved.

2021 Survey of village opinions

The STAR group decided it would strengthen their Lottery funding application if they could demonstrate local support. Accordingly a questionnaire was delivered to, and collected from, every home in the village. It could also be completed on-line. The text of this document is available here.

The responses from this survey were analysed and tabulated and circulated as below in October 2021.

Survey findings and graphs Download

Following the retirement of the vicar, Roger Cordey took responsibility for the management of this project.

March 2023 – Good News

On March 28^th 2023 Chris Coath, a member of the STAR Group made the following announcement on the Deopham Community Group Facebook page:

Good News For Deopham Church

After a long time waiting, in which there was no news, High Oak Parochial Church Council has been awarded a Development Grant of £48,955 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund for restoration work and to deliver a range of new activities and resources at St Andrew’s Church (Deopham).

The award is for the ‘Caring for our Roots’ project, transforming the at-risk church into a sustainable heritage, community and worship hub for the village of Deopham and for the wider area. This will be achieved in partnership with local schools, the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, the Norfolk Record Office and others. Members of High Oak Parochial Church Council, together with the Deopham St Andrew’s Restoration group (STAR) have been hard at work for more than two years to turn this vision into reality.

The initial National Lottery Heritage Fund award will be used in the project’s development phase, to pay for further investigations into the church’s condition and to build project activity ideas. This will then lead to a further application to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for a grant to deliver the project and its outcomes. The group will appoint specialists to help them devise the best options to secure the future, among them an Activity Consultant and an Architect.

After Roger Cordey had stepped down from his role as the Project Manager, Mrs. Anita Bounds took over.

August 2024 – Church meeting

Second Questionnaire

The following questionnaire was handed out in the church at the meeting held on August 31^st 2024. It could also be completed on-line. The results have not been published at the time of writing.

St Andrew’s, Deopham_ Your thoughts, please!Download

Fundraising

The STAR group arranged two fundraising events:

Harp Concert

This event raised £230.

Harvest supper

This event raised £350.

October 16th 2024 – Presentation to the village

The following data was presented at the meeting on October 16^th 2024:

Where the money went

Where the money came from

Cost of the proposed delivery phase

It should be noted that whilst there are references above to the architect’s report of 2022, many items in that report were set aside for a future project.

How the proposed project will be funded

With thanks to Anita Bounds for presenting this data succinctly.

January 9th 2025 – End of the project

The PCC unilaterally closed down the STAR Group at the PCC meeting held on January 9^th 2025. The composition of the PCC at this meeting was:-

Name	Based in
Rev. Victoria Venmore-Rowland	Hingham
Mrs. Kathleen Flowerday	Deopham
Mrs. Angela Phoenix	Deopham
Mr. Richard Hyde	Morley
Mrs. Jenny Hyde	Morley
Mr. Julian Holt	Wicklewood
Mrs. Heather Ethridge	Hackford
Mr. Roger Cordey	Wicklewood/Morley
Mrs. Janet Allison	PCC Secretary

PCC Statement March 29th 2025

The following anonymous backdated statement was issued on March 29^th 2025:

Statement from High Oak PCC 25^th March 2025

After careful consideration, High Oak Parochial Church Council (PCC), the project owners, have made the difficult decision to bring the “Caring for Our Roots” project to an end.

This decision was not taken lightly. While the project had passed key milestones and showed potential for securing further funding, the PCC ultimately felt that the scale, demands, and financial liabilities of the project exceeded what we, the PCC, as a small group of volunteers, could realistically commit to. The financial responsibility placed on the PCC, (including the need to guarantee potential shortfalls) was a significant concern, and after thorough discussion, it was agreed that continuing was not viable.

We are incredibly grateful for the hard work and dedication of the Deopham STAR group, the project team, and all those who supported the initiative over the years. We also extend our thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and other funders for their generous contributions during the Development Phase. We are now working with them to ensure that all financial and administrative matters are appropriately concluded.

Although this particular project is not continuing, the PCC remains committed to the care of St Andrew’s Church and will continue to explore ways to preserve this important historic building for the future.

Thank you to everyone who has been involved in and supported this project.

Source: Deopham Church noticeboard, 30/3/2025

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Date	Change
1/4/25	PCC members list updated to include Roger Cordey
30/3/25	PCC statement of 29/3/25
6/3/25	PCC members listed
24/2/25	Published

Deopham History